As a real estate agent, I’ve learned that mentality is everything. My journey from being a slightly above-average, unsatisfied agent to where I am now has taught me that the real game-changer is a shift in mindset. I’m proof that the right combination of skillset, mindset, and actions can lead to success.
In my view, success is very simple. It’s achieved when clients tell me the home buying or selling process is easy and stress-free. Real estate transactions happen because of a life change so if I can help a client go through a life change with ease, then that’s my true measure of success. Transitioning from a 20-year career in advertising sales into real estate, my primary motivation was the desire to make a difference in people’s lives. The fulfillment I get from being able to help and provide value to my clients is immeasurable, and I’m so grateful for the chance to do so each day.
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Mastering Emotion and Building Trust
Switching to the real estate industry, I was surprised to learn how emotional of a business it can be. If you allow your emotion into a transaction then it can absolutely eat you up. About 4 years ago, I really learned the importance of taking the emotion out of the transaction, ensuring that I’m the professional in the room. This is part of my whole mentality and goal: to become the trusted real estate advisor within my sphere. It’s about consistently offering value to my clients and not saying no to potential opportunities, all while maintaining an expert presence.
Equally important to me is maintaining relationships with clients even when they’re not actively buying or selling. I want people to know that I’m their real estate agent for life and that they can rely on me. This involves keeping them informed and engaged with the community, not just with real estate updates, but by sharing valuable information about local events or family-friendly activity ideas. It’s about stepping outside the conventional real estate role and finding meaningful, diverse ways to reconnect and add value to their lives, reinforcing the trust they place in me as their go-to real estate expert.
Gratitude as a Guiding Force
You’re always going to have setbacks in real estate, whether that’s losing a deal or losing a client, but you can’t let that affect your mindset. The best way to start your day is with an attitude of gratitude because it’s hard for negativity to penetrate that. That’s why I start every morning writing my affirmations down in my gratitude journal. By maintaining a perspective of gratitude, you can face any situation with the thought, “I’m grateful for this opportunity,” allowing you to quickly move to the next.
I’m a big Mel Robbins fan and if you listen to any of her podcasts she focuses a lot on gratitude and visualizations. I’ve applied her principles to achieve a better work-life balance for myself, something that I was horrible at in the beginning of my career. I used to tell clients that I was available 24/7 so then I ended up working 24/7 and answering texts in the middle of the night. I realized, you can’t walk into a car dealership at 10 pm and buy a car, so why doesn’t this apply to real estate transactions? Now I make it clear that I’m available to my clients during specific hours and days (unless I’m working on something urgent).
A few summers ago I was tired of working weekends and I thought what would it look like if on the weekends I was camping? And I started to visualize myself sitting on my camper, playing golf, and enjoying the outdoors. Eventually, those things started to happen because whatever you want to happen in your life, you can imagine it, and your brain can rewire itself to prioritize those things. Now I try to take off Sundays for my family and I don’t typically show properties on Sundays unless it’s an absolute must. Remarkably, since setting these boundaries, I’ve sold more homes than ever before.
My advice to agents struggling with finding the right mentality for success is to read, join mastermind groups, get a mentor, and continue grinding. Ninja Selling is a good book that influenced my mentality a lot. Atomic Habits is another fantastic book for agents who are struggling or newer to the business. The point is that if you are doing the right things, and you continue doing the right things consistently, then you know you will be successful.
